Travel And Taking A Holiday in NSW - Oh My!

NSW residents will be able to take a holiday anywhere in the state from next month, with intra-state travel restrictions to be lifted from Monday 1 June, 2020.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro made the announcement yesterday.

Ms Berejiklian said lifting the holiday travel restriction will give everyone a much needed break and help get small businesses and the tourism industry moving again.

“This is the day we’ve all been looking forward to since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place earlier this year and I would like to thank everyone for their patience during the past few months of being cooped up at home,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“I must stress to everyone that, while we want people to enjoy a well-earned holiday, we must do this responsibly and continue to abide by physical distancing measures, as the last thing we want is further outbreaks that will force us to reintroduce restrictions.”

Mr Barilaro said while regional NSW will welcome visitors with open arms, holidaymakers should call their planned accommodation venues and attractions to ensure they will be open and confirm their bookings before travelling.

Venues are also encouraged to review their booking policies to allow travellers to easily cancel their trip if they have any symptoms.

A number of caravan parks and camping grounds will be open from 1 June, but travellers should call ahead and confirm bookings, while travellers planning to visit national parks should check www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au for further information. Travellers need to especially practice strong hygiene around shared facilities.

The news has been welcomed by Mudgee Region Tourism CEO Cara George. She has told 2MG that they had planned for some sort of travel restrictions to be in force up to the Christmas period, saying this news is like Christmas coming early for the local industry.

As a number of caravan parks and holiday grounds will start to open, we have spoken to a local caravan park operator, who said they have been advised they can open for tourists again from June 1, provided that they practice and promote social distancing.

They also told our newsroom they have already had a large number of booking enquiries since the news was announced yesterday morning.